First World War Casualties

No-one would have dared to predict the casualties of World War One. When World War One was declared there were street celebrations in most of Europe’s capital cities. No-one even envisaged trench warfare in August 1914 let alone the appalling casualties that occurred over 4 years of fighting. In August 1914, Ypres remained a fine example of a medieval city. By 1918, it lay in ruins and the surrounding land had witnessed death by the tens of thousands. The Somme and Verdun witnessed appalling slaughter. No-one could have predicted the horrifying consequences of modern weaponry being used together with out-of-date tactics. The grim figures ‘speak’ for themselves.

Country

Men mobilised

Killed

Wounded

POW’s + missing

Total casualties

casualties in % of men mobilised

Russia

12 million

1.7mill

4.9mill

2.5mill

9.15mill

76.3

France

8.4 mill

1.3mill

4.2mill

537,000

6.1mill

73.3

GB + Empire

8.9mill

908,000

2mill

191,000

3.1mill

35.8

Italy

5.5mill

650,000

947,000

600,000

2.1mill

39

USA

4.3mill

126,000

234,000

4,500

350,000

8

Japan

800,000

300

900

3

1210

0.2

Romania

750,000

335,000

120,000

80,000

535,000

71

Serbia

700,000

45,000

133,000

153,000

331,000

47

Belgium

267,000

13,800

45,000

34,500

93,000

35

Greece

230,000

5000

21,000

1000

27,000

12

Portugal

100,000

7222

13,700

12,000

33,000

33

Total Allies

42million

5 million

13million

4 million

22million

52%

Germany

11million

1.7million

4.2million

1.1million

7.1million

65

Austria

7.8million

1.2million

3.6million

2.2million

7 million

90

Turkey

2.8million

325,000

400,000

250,000

975,000

34

Bulgaria

1.2million

87,000

152,000

27,000

266,000

22

Total

Central Powers

22.8mill

3.3million

8.3million

3.6million

15 million

67

Grand Total

65 million

8.5mill

21million

7.7mill

37million

57%

Please note that the figures are rounded up and the total per section (such as killed, wounded etc.) will not necessarily equal the total figure.